2006-07-01 01:38:45 · 11 answers · asked by the big p 1 in Social Science ➔ Other - Social Science
They are folloeing a scent left from the scout ant between food and the colony. They also feel each other so can aviod hitting anc craching, but they do bumb in from time to time. Think of it as the Ant Autoban.
2006-07-01 01:42:22 · answer #1 · answered by theaterhanz 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ants respond to chemical signals, kind of like smells. If the smell they pick up tells them to do something, they do it. So when the lead ant sets out, it leaves a chemical trail behind telling the other ants to follow. And they follow, they don't stop to talk to friends, they don't wonder why or complain or go to the mall, they just follow the scent.
A cool experiment was done where a scientist isolated the smell that tells ants to take out the trash and put a drop of it on an ant. Every time the ant went into the nest, the other ants carried him out. Then without question it would go back in only to be carried out again. This continued until the scent wore off.
2006-07-01 01:48:22 · answer #2 · answered by prysbit 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ants don't have eyes, so they use their antennae to communicate. If there is ever a reason to not follow the group one or more ants will turn to the followers and tell each one what the deal is. We have these tiny sweet ants in our kitchen and I have spent too many wasted moments watching them communicate and try to figure out how to divert them on to another path... all I have found is that they must be told by another ant to take a different path. Best wishes
2006-07-01 01:43:31 · answer #3 · answered by colorist 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The lead ant leaves a chemical 'trail' and the ants that are following the lead ant are merely following that trail. This is how ant poison works because the lead ant will leave a chemical trail to the poison which the other ants will follow... to their DOOM.!
2006-07-01 01:43:17 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The first ant lays down a scent trail and the others follow it.
2006-07-01 01:43:19 · answer #5 · answered by Answer_dude 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ants realeses a kind of chemical called pheromones which the other ants can smell and can follow them.
2006-07-01 01:43:52 · answer #6 · answered by Illusive One 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The same way a flock of birds, or a cave full of bats can fly in a large group without crashing into each other.
Their sense of avoidance instinctively controls their movement and direction of travel. Better than any man made technology can ever hope to achieve.
2006-07-01 01:49:09 · answer #7 · answered by tee_nong_noy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
they leave a chemical smell which makes others to follow the leader.
actually they are said so....
2006-07-01 01:48:12 · answer #8 · answered by sarah m 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
they leave a chemical scent trail
2006-07-01 01:43:42 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
its becoz of a special chemical called "pheromone"....
2006-07-01 01:49:01 · answer #10 · answered by ashwamegh_2020 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋